


Kazoko

by HP_of_the_North



Series: Levi and his kids. [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: And they're really good ones, But there's a hint of levihan if you squint hard enough, Don't even try to lie to me. You know it as well as I do, Don't try and lie either, Even if they're only really learning, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Hange and Levi are such parents, I love these two so much okay?, It's a crying shame that there's only about two pages full of stories about them and the 104th, No Romance, Parent-Child Feels, Parental Hange Zoë, Parental Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Patience is a virtue as they say, Post Season 2, Pre Season 3, SO MUCH FLUFF, The 104th are a big ol' mess of sibling fluff, Why isn't there more stories about these two and their gaggle of adopted kids?, surrogate parents, you know they are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 05:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29679450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HP_of_the_North/pseuds/HP_of_the_North
Summary: Levi was use to taking on the harder challenges that most of his other colleagues couldn't do, like taking out particularly hardkyojindasor chewing out more rowdy recruits. But this? Taking care of seven traumatized and hardened brats who were still so fucking young and dealing with shitty glasses and all Hange's ridiculousness? He had to admit, this might be even more than he can handle.
Relationships: Hange Zoe & the 104th, Levi Ackerman & Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman & the 104th
Series: Levi and his kids. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2174079
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40





	1. A lesson of betrayal.

**Author's Note:**

> What's this? Another story about Levi and how ridiculously fatherly he is? Why yes, it is. I'm in quarantine and quite simply bored out of my mind and currently just a little bit obsessed with Shingeki no Kyojin at the moment. And this crazy family the 104th have found in each other along with Hange and Levi. 
> 
> Because they are very parental towards them. Some people say it's more of a mentor/mentee relationship and while yes, that's very true. There's also a thousand different moments in the anime and manga where they show how much they care about these kids, like they were literally their own. They love them all so bloody much. And honestly? With the lives these kids have had? They need that sort of stability in their life and so I'm celebrating it, because it's not done enough.
> 
> Again, Hange's gender neutral, any pronounces I mess up, please point them out to me, politely, so I can fix it. All 14 of these chapters are each of the cadets with either Levi and him acting like a total dad. Or with Hange. And each chapter might have a sprinkling of levihan in it if I can think up a scene for them. This chapter is about Eren and the very understandable trust issues he has after Reiner and Bertholdt. And the main person in this chapter is definitely Levi, so with all that out of the way, read on.

Levi didn't like how quiet Eren was. His cadet was always talking, always one step away from saying something stupid or doing something rash or just fighting with Jean like those idiots were 5 and 6 again. Hadn't he told Erwin that the brats were too young to be on his squad? Hadn't he told him that they'd yet to mature? That they didn't need someone like a captain, they needed someone like Hange, someone who could help them nurture as more than soldiers? And yet, he'd still insisted that they _both_ take over their training. Levi was use to taking on the harder challenges that most of his other colleagues couldn't do, like taking out particularly hard _kyojindas_ or chewing out more rowdy recruits. But this? Taking care of seven traumatized and hardened brats who were still so fucking young and dealing with shitty glasses and all Hange's ridiculousness? He had to admit, this might be even more than he can handle. But that wasn't really the problem here, just the root of all his fear. The problem was, that Eren was being too quiet and he didn't like how dark his eyes had turned.

Theoretically, he knew the reason why his cadet was so upset, so silent. Leonhart, Braun and Hoover had been his friends and if Armin was to be believed (which Hange had said, multiple times in fact, that he was probably the most honest and trustworthy of their cadets) Eren had admired Braun, idolized him. He had said Reiner was like a brother to them all but he had helped Eren the most, had given him tips in the early part of their training. Had given him advice on how to handle Leonhart. Still, it didn't explain why he was suddenly a different person. And, he admitted shamefully, it _worried_ him, not like how he usually worried for his soldiers, this worry was deeper, almost sickening in the way it churned in his stomach. And the _hatred_ he felt for Braun and Hoover that they'd done this to Eren was even more frightening, it was the type of hatred Kenny had shown in those years they'd been together. Whenever one of his shady business partners had got too close to him. A sort of glint sparked to life in his eye that had the partner backing away as quickly as physically possible. And on the odd chance that didn't work, Kenny had them running soon enough once he'd gotten a few good swipes in. Then again, Kenny was a serial killer, ruthless and utterly merciless, maybe he shouldn't be comparing his hatred to his, he wasn't like him.

But a voice whispered in his mind. _"Aren't you though? You want to make them pay, like how Kenny use to, you know you do."_

Levi pointedly ignored it. His brows furrowed deeply as he watched Eren walk back inside the barracks his squad stayed in. All his other friends were talking, pushing and shoving in Connie and Sasha's case but those two were idiots, but not him. He was brooding and silent, looking as though a hurricane was brewing in his mind and again, that dreaded _worry_ began again.

-

Levi glared at his cup as he waited for shitty glasses to come to his office. He was going to demand Hange give him some answers about what they thought was going through that brats' head. He kept telling himself it was because it hindered his ability as a soldier and humanity's hope, that he needed him in top shape. Both mentally and physically. That was the only reason why he was even bothering to listen to Hange's babbling drawl.

"Levi? You okay? You spot a spec of dirt in your office?" Hange asked, walking inside with a smirk as he threw a deadpanned look their way.

"No, I want to talk to you about the cadets seeing as fucking Erwin demanded we train them together." he muttered, still silently stewing in bitterness that his friend had placed all that weight of being a captain and a teacher on his shoulders.

Hange rose an eyebrow, not expecting that. Levi nodded at Hange to sit down, he was sure it was far more aggressive than it needed to be but he didn't much care, seeing as he was trying to avoid the slight burning in his cheeks.

"What's on your mind shorty?" Hange asked, plopping down and crossing their arms as they stared at him. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, he was gonna need to knock them out and bathe them soon.

"What's wrong with Eren?" he demanded, getting straight to the point. Hange blinked at him and frowned in thought.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's acting different, he's more reclosed, shut off, he barely even speaks to Armin and Mikasa anymore and his training's starting to take a hit as well. He's been this way for a few days, I thought he'd get over it but obviously it's not working, he just seems to be getting worse." he said.

Hange hummed, thinking his question over. He didn't ask them anything else, he had learned that Hange did better when he left them to their own mind. Still, he was anxious for an answer so that he could have him training again in top form.

"Are you really so surprised? He was just betrayed by two people he had thought were his friends, that sort of thing, especially to kids, can be hard to deal with." they said, after a second of silence.

"No. But he's been this way for _days_ , Hange. How do I make him deal with it? He's a soldier but above all else he's humanity's only hope, we're not gonna get anywhere if he's just mopping around, pouting about it." he said. Clenching his hands together on his desk, making his thin knuckles pop and crack under the pressure.

Hange rolled their eyes, less than impressed with his way of words if he had to gather, but it was the truth, this habit was really sca-- _worrying_ him. If Eren was going to be in his squad, he needed him to focus. Otherwise he'd die on the battlefield before they've even made it past the walls.

"He's hurt Levi." Hange said, far too gently. As if they were talking to a particularly stubborn dog who wouldn't shit outside no matter how many times they'd trained them to do it. "That doesn't just go away."

"Then help him, you're the smart one!" he said, gesturing towards them angrily. "You're suppose to know what to do!"

Hange sighed before they pushed themselves up and off the chair in annoyance.

"You're helpless _baka_. You want to help him? Then _talk_ to him. You're his hero, can't imagine why, considering what a pain you are."

_Talk? That's their answer? Just **talk** to him? What sort of-- Gah! As bloody useless as usual! How could it be as simple as talking?_

-

It was a week later when he finally took Hange's advice, he wasn't even sure what had made him do it. Maybe it was the fact that he was messing around with his food instead of eating. Maybe it was the fact that despite Jean purposefully trying to get a rise out of him, he just ignored him tiredly. Or maybe it the way his shoulders were slouched and how much he looked like a sad sack of useless bones. Hange was at the end of the table and smirked when they saw him stand up and bang his hands on the table. Making the plates and cutlery twinkle and shake.

"Yeager, after this I need you to come to my office." Eren's eyes widened at the use of his last name, he hadn't called him that in a long time. A flicker of fear awoke in his blue eyes, probably remembering the day in the court room so long ago now, when he had to beat him in front of the court.

" _H-ha-hai, h-he-heicho._ "

He nodded before he pushed back from his chair and walked away from the hall.

_Fuck, what the hell am I meant to say to him now? This was a terrible idea. Fucking shitty glasses, making me do stupid shit._

-

Levi stared at Eren over his teacup of steaming black tea as he awkwardly sat down across from him, rubbing the back of his head worriedly.

"You're acting off." he said, Eren stared at him, caught off guard by his utter bluntness, well, he wasn't gonna tip toe around the issue, he's not here to play nice, he's here to whip these kids into some sort of team and squad and if one of the most important members isn't doing his part then he needed to know. There was no other reason. "Care to explain?"

"Off?" he asked, looking a little bit confused. Was he serious? Was he acting? How could he not have noticed how steadily more drawn in he'd been getting? If _him_ of all people had noticed then why the fuck hadn't the brat? "How?"

"Want me to give you a list? Let's start with you haven't been eating, number 1. Let's also add in that you haven't been training as well as you usually would've. You also haven't fought with Jean, despite him goading you on multiple times. You haven't been talking to Mikasa and Armin, which they're getting incredibly worried about by the way. Your head." he gestured to his own for emphasis. "Hasn't been in your training, not for a while now since the whole catastrophe with Braun and Hoover. You realize if you keep this up you'll likely get your friends killed on the battle field?"

Eren stared glumly at his desk as if he was wondering if this life was really worth all the heart ache that came with it. As if he was thinking of a thousand possibilities at once.

"Seems that's all I'm good for." he bitterly remarked.

"What?" he furrowed his brows in confusion. _Fuck this, Hange should be the one talking to him, I'm not getting anywhere._ "Elaborate, now."

"Getting people killed, and if I'm not doing that, I'm being pulled along like some stupid kid. Trusting in the wrong people. And getting betrayed in the end."

Levi didn't have enough caffeine and piss poor ale in him to have this sort of conversation. What the fuck does he say to that? Does he tell him to stop whining? To get himself out of that pitiful hole he dug himself into? That's what Kenny would've done if he'd said that to him, he was still wondering if he had meant it as a good thing or a bad thing. But he had a feeling that sort of thing would make him waste away even more and he couldn't afford that. It wasn't just about him being one of his soldiers anymore. He just didn't want the kid to suffer.

 _The kid_. But that's exactly what he was, what they all were, they were just kids. And sometimes, he forgot that.

"And the others will be just like them in the end, they'll be traitors too or I'll get them killed like I did everyone else who came to save me from Reiner and Bertholdt. Ymir betrayed us too." he said, his old rage waking up in his tone but he didn't like this rage at all. Then, to his shock and horror, his eyes began tearing up slightly before he managed to reel them in somewhat. "Why does everyone either die or leave me?"

Levi considered his cadet for a few moments, taking in those words with an exhausted heart, he's been through this before. You get the same every year when new recruits join them, when a friend is torn apart. Or when another leaves them for dead, he knows the feeling well, he had experienced it himself, once, long ago. But just like every other time he and Erwin had had to console the rookies, he just didn't know what to say. Fucking hell, he _never_ knew what to say. Shitty glasses needed to be here.

"I know that feeling too." he began, remembering an incident once, so long ago now, the mission he went on after Farlen and Isabel, when a comrade had left him too when he'd gone back for him. "It took me a long time to trust people again after that. But I did."

"How did you do it?" he mumbled, looking so very lost and so very young. "How does anyone do it?"

"It starts off small." he said. "Trusting them to do your dishes, trusting them to listen to you, trusting them to pour your tea. Trusting them to clean." he was proud of the amused little smile that got him. "Then before you know it, you're trusting them to watch your backs as you would theirs. There'll always be people who'll turn their backs on you. I wish I could tell you different. There'll always be betrayals. That's certain." Eren frowned at those words. "But there's one more thing that I know for certain. That while we'll face betrayals time and time again. I'll never be the one doing it. And your friends, even Jean, would never be the ones doing it either."

"But how do I know that for certain?" he whispered.

"You don't. But that's the great thing about trust, you don't need to know for certain." he said.

"How do I start doing it again? I don't...they can't die for me."

Levi shrugged, relaxing his shoulders. "Start off small."

-

Hange smirked from where they stood beside him, watching as the cadets shoot through the trees, Levi watched as Eren talked with Armin and Mikasa. Slowly worming his way out of the self imposed shell he'd locked himself away in.

"Well, looks like you did it."

"Don't ever make me have to do it alone again." he warned them. They smirked and got into a solute.

"Sure thing, shorty."

He rolled his eyes before he turned them back to Armin, Eren and Mikasa and slowly, almost without his notice, a small, proud smile grew.


	2. A Lesson of Care.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hange's noticing that Connie's acting weird but before they or Levi can dive too deeply into it, an outbreak begins occuring in their team and the first stirring of fear begin awakening.

Hange didn't like this. Hange didn't like how they didn't know an answer to something and how to help Connie with his grief and heartbreak? That was _definitely_ something Hange couldn't answer. Hange'd seen him down here the past few nights, he was almost always sleeping and on the odd chances that he wasn't, they had heard them softly sniffling by the embers of the dying fire. Hange also hated what feelings it stirred in their chest when they saw him looking so broken. The feeling of needing to fix something but not in the scientific way like it'd been before when they'd heal injured soldiers on the field. It was a deeper need, something that resonated in them and something they'd seen in the midget too whenever he glanced over their cadets. But, despite what Levi and their track record might say, they had no idea where to start.

They'd never been in this sort of position before, when one of the soldiers needed help, it'd always been Moblit who'd talked to them. But Moblit wasn't here, he was on a mission and all they had was them or Levi. The two worst people on the whole of Paradis to deal with the broken minds of their new cadets that they were suddenly in charge of. Sometimes they wondered why Erwin had done this. As long as Hange's known him, he's never made a mistake but this time, in all their years of service, they think this might be the first. These soldiers were kids, traumatized ones at that, they didn't need to be trained, they needed parents, something neither Hange or the midget could give them. Even if Hange wanted to, how they wanted to bring their parents back, just to see them smile again. Especially Connie, his way of dealing with the death of his parents wasn't as obvious as Eren's abandonment issues after Braun and Hoover. But that didn't mean it wasn't just as important to help. Even if they didn't really know how, but Hange'd be damned if they didn't try.

-

Hange smiled at Levi sweetly as they sat opposite him, waiting for the grouchy midget to stop whining about being woken up. They didn't even know why he did it, considering he only sleeps 2-3 hours a night, which in of itself was a little worrying, so they assumed he just wanted another reason to bitch and moan at them for a while, it also probably didn't help that he wasn't the nicest person when he first got up (if he was ever a nice person to begin with).

"You've stopped bitching? Fantastic, listen, we're going to the market today."

"What?" he asked, blinking at Hange studiedly through the haze of sleep that'd descended on him.

"We're going to the market." Hange repeated as slowly and clearly as they dared.

"No, we're not. The kids are getting into the harder and more complicated drills, they can't afford to miss it." he said.

"They're not missing it, you're just post phoning it for the day, come on, they're sick of being stuck inside, they're going insane and it's driving me a little insane. And if it's getting to _me_ then I know for absolute certainty that it's making you homicidal, and I don't Erwin would appreciate it if you kill them." they said, smirking smugly as his eye twitched, Hange's tell tale sign that he knew they were right.

"No, they can't miss it. It's too important, do you know what'd happen to them if they didn't know this drill? I don't want those brats' deaths on my shoulders and I doubt you do it either." he said, Hange groaned, throwing their head back in irritation.

"And what happens if they're all burnt out and they start falling behind in their training? What if it starts getting too much and they start lashing out at each other? Even we needed a break every now and again if you remember. You've been working them non-stop Levi, it's not good for them and it's definitely not good for us."

"I do it because they need to live!" he barked back. "It might not be that important to you Hange but if you lose Eren, you lose your experiment."

Hange stared at him, hurt picking at their heart like a melancholy violin, is that what he really thought of them? That they just saw Eren as an experiment? That the other kids didn't matter as much to them? Where had he even got that idea? Doesn't he realize that they were doing this _for_ them? Hange steeled their eyes and glared at him in annoyance.

"Connie needs a break." Hange's resolve was as hard as steel, they would have their way or there'd be no way at all.

"Connie? What the fuck has this got to do with Connie?" he demanded, his voice betrayed the quaver of worried confusion he was desperately trying to hide.

"He just lost his family, his friends and his home, did you know that when I wake up to start breakfast, he's always in the sitting room? Every morning without fail? Most of sleeping, but sometimes I can hear him crying. As much as _you_ like to think they'll just get over it, Connie hasn't and he won't if you keep pushing him to the edge. He. Needs. A. Break." they punctuated the last sentence with every ounce of determination Hange had in their body.

"Then he can have his break after the drills." he snapped back.

" _Baka!_ You're utterly hopeless!" they snapped.

Hange jumped off the chair and stormed from the room, cursing Levi out and suggesting he do a great many things that Erwin would not be happy about.

-

Hange kept their eyes on Connie nervously as him and Sasha talk, next to his friend, Hange could hear how dead his voice sounded. How fake his cheerful tone was. Hange hadn't even heard what they were talking about, too focused on Connie and the primal fear that woke in their body when Hange saw how quiet he was being.

" _Hange-san_ what do you think?" Sasha demanded suddenly, pulling Hange, screaming, from the inner musings of their mind and the fear there that Hange'd yet to completely understand.

"Sorry, Sasha. What about?"

"About eating rats!" Jean said, shivering in disgust as he shakes his head at Sasha. "How could anyone even consider something like that?"

_Rats? What the bloody hell? That's what they're arguing about?_

Hange noticed, with a sort of vindictive pleasure, that Levi was holding his head, closing his eyes in complete exasperation at such a silly and harmless fight.

"Rats?" they asked, raising an unamused eyebrow at Hange's cadets. "That's what you guys are arguing about at six in the morning?"

"Blame the suicidal blockhead!" Jean said, pointing dramatically at Eren, whose jaw dropped. "He was the one who asked what was the worst thing we'd ever eaten!"

"What!? How is this my fault!?" Eren demanded, though he seemed more alive than he'd been in days, guess Levi did one thing right. "Sasha's the one who answered!"

"Because Mikasa was glaring at me!" Sasha squeaked back, pointing at the girl. "Have you _seen_ how scary her grey eyes are? Like they're staring into my soul!" she shivered for affect.

"I'm not to blame for your strange eating habits. It's not my fault you get intimidated so easily." Mikasa said calmly, tearing off a piece of her bread and swallowing it.

"Well maybe you shouldn't stare at people that way." Historia offered. "It _can_ be scary."

"Eh? She's not scary!" Eren jumped back in.

Hange placed a hand to their temple as they all started arguing again, now over how scary Mikasa was. Personally, she could see Historia and Sasha's point and, worringly, Hange also noticed that Connie hadn't said anything, only smiled and nodded when Sasha, Jean and Historia looked his way for back up.

" _OY_!" Hange and Levi shouted over their rising voices.

The kids fell silent immediately, looking in between their two captains worriedly. Probably realizing that their whole argument was pointless and they were either going to get their ass kicked, courtesy of Levi, or run laps in the woods around their hopeless little cottage, that was getting more and more cramped by the day. Courtesy of Hange.

"You brats need to quiet the fuck down and eat your breakfast!" Levi said, glaring at Hange's cadets in annoyance, though some would take it for anger. "And give us five minutes fucking peace."

"If you can do that, we'll go to the market today." Hange said, jumping in suddenly and managing to hide the smirk that was desperate to rip free. "You can even do whatever you want there."

Silence followed their sentence as the kids all stared at each other, almost vibrating in all their excitement. They scooped up their breakfast and began eating again in, and this was the most miraculous thing that'd ever happened to Hange, complete and utter _blissful_ silence. Nice, my kids get to have a break. Wait... **my** kids?

-

Hange smirked as Levi trundled up behind them and Hange's cadets. Already given up on trying to convince Hange and their cadets to post pone this trip.

"Okay! Listen up!" Hange addressed the excited kids. "You guys have some fun for the next two hours while Connie and I get some supplies, make sure you take care of Levi now, you know how easily he can get lost in the crowds."

Levi scowled at them darkly for the insult, Connie didn't even look disappointed, meanwhile Sasha grabbed Hange's arm in an over dramatic way and pouted at them with the biggest puppy dog eyes ever on a 15 year old.

"But _Hange-san_ Connie and I do everything together! Can't you take someone else with you?"

"Sasha." Levi said, suddenly by their side. "Unless you want to go back to the cottage, I suggest you just do as Hange says."

"And besides, I need him. You guys can go out together next time." they assured Sasha, patting her head a little in comfort.

She pouted but walked back over to Jean with her head hanging, Hange sighed, rubbing their face wearily. How they wished someone had told them how difficult kids could be when they wanted.

"Don't spend all your money on useless shit." Levi said, turning to them darkly.

"What you call useless I call treasure."

Hange gestured for Connie to follow her and before Levi could say anything else they were lost in the crowd.

-

Despite what Levi seemed to think of Hange, they spent all the money they'd gotten from their wages on warmer things for the cottage. They could feel the chill of winter in the air, the icy wind walked along their back with spindly fingers of ice. Hange couldn't deny the part of them that worried about the kids come winter, seeing as it was clear that almost all of them had brought coats a little too worn or a little too small for them to give Hange's cadets much of anything when it came to conserving body heat. Especially knowing Levi, he'd have them running drills in blizzards and hailstones, they needed more than what they had even if they'd never admit it.

"Connie." the boy snapped his attention to Hange, cutting himself off from the rambling he'd been doing about the market. "Sorry to interrupt you but you'd know what size your friends are right? Or roughly the right size?"

"Well, I did share a room with Jean and Eren for three years, not fun, especially since Eren's so grouchy in the morning." he muttered, glaring at nothing and having no real heat behind it.

"Are we sure him and Levi aren't related?" they asked.

Connie smiled weakly, no doubt been victimized by Levi's tyrannical rages in the early mornings. They remembered _Eren's_ all too well too. Hange grabbed a coat from a trader and held it against Connie examing him in thought. He blushed at how much attention Hange put into him. But they'd accept no mistakes, all their cadets needed to be warm enough come winter.

"It's not necessary for you to buy me anything, _Hange-san_." he said, brushing the coat away.

"I know it's not. But I'm gonna do it anyway. Your coats aren't going to be enough come winter and I'd rather you all be safe and warm, training won't stop once the snow hits." Hange said.

Connie nodded, speaking about how their reasoning made sense. But Hange distracted themselves when they heard that horrid hacking cough, the one that sounded like choking. Their eyes spun round to a girl, maybe a little older than Connie, she gasped and choked as her skin turned blue and her parents desperately tried to help her. A trickle of vomit trailed down her face and her skin was glazed, showing signs of a fever. Connie paused, probably wondering why they looked so shocked and worried.

" _Hange-san_? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, listen, have you ever had the Hacking Cough?"

"I've never heard of it, is it bad?" he asked, frowning.

"It can be for kids like you. Keep your mouth covered." they said, grabbing a scarf and wrapping it around his face. "Try not to bump into anyone, okay?"

Connie nodded, curving the scarf so it covered his face more, Hange quickly thanked the trader and flew through the crowd, looking around for their missing cadets and Levi. Levi was by the tea stand, picking up some more tea bags since he'd been running low and frowned when he saw their worried face.

"What? You look like you've been shoveling horse shit."

"There's an outbreak of the Hacking Cough, we need to get the kids."

Levi's face turned serious in an instant and he nodded at her before they stormed around the market, searching for the missing cadets. With either Hange or Levi keeping a hold on Connie's sleeve, just in case. Hange wondered, for a brief moment, if they should be embarrassed by how protective they already were of their team, especially Connie, Historia and Armin, something about those three and their big sweet eyes, hit every soft spot Hange and Levi could think to name. All they knew for certain. They wouldn't sleep a wink tonight.

-

Hange stood on the branch to Levi's right, watching their cadets as they shot around the oak trees. Finally beginning to work together, each member had a specific role and they all did them perfectly. It eased their minds to know that they and Levi were at least doing something right. Hange's eyes zoomed in on Connie and Sasha as they began to lag behind, they watched as it seemed it was becoming harder and harder for them to breathe.

"Levi." they said, turning to him, admittedly...they were terrified.

"I see it too." he said, his fists clenching together, hiding his worry. "Springer! Blouse! Over here!"

The two landed heavily on the branch, their breathes were coming out in harsh gulps and sweat was beading. Hange kneeled down and placed a cold hand on Connie's head. His forehead was warm...unnaturally so. Hange turned to Sasha and ruffled the hanging pieces of her hair to get better access. Her forehead wasn't as warm as Connie's...but it would be soon.

"Call off the training. _Now_."

Hange scooped up Connie and flew down from the tree, already racing towards the house, they won't lose these two. _They won't_

-

Hange held the bucket underneath Sasha as she threw up everything and anything that she had in her stomach, her brow sweating. Hange had never seen the girl so pale or miserable. And when she wasn't vomiting, neither Levi or Hange could breathe when they started coughing, gasping and spluttering. One particularly horrifying time, both Sasha and Connie had stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Hange lay back on their chair, holding their head in their hands as Sasha and Connie shallowly breathed in. The only other sound either Levi or them had heard was the occasional whimpers of pain. And that was the worst thing they'd ever heard. It slithered through Hange's heart like a rod of lightning. And the feeling accompanying it was perhaps even worse. The feeling of utter helplessness and the knowledge that, no matter what they did, they couldn't help them, all they could do was listen and Hange **hated** it.

"You're exhausted glasses." Levi spoke up suddenly, it was the first time either of them had really said anything since they sectioned them off three days ago, they were both far too scared to speak. "Why don't you go asleep for a while? I can handle it."

"It's not that I don't think you can handle it." Hange said, peering at him through their hands. "I just...I can't...what if they need me?"

Levi sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, but they had a feeling he knew exactly what Hange had meant, that it wasn't just the thought of 'they needed me'. It was the thought of 'what if I lose them?'. It was a fear so deep and so feral that they wondered how they had missed it.

"Mother..." Connie mumbled softly.

Hange was on their feet and walking towards the mumbling cadet, Connie was staring at the ceiling, his eyes blank. Caught up in a different time, a time that seemed so long ago now but in reality were only a few bare days ago.

"Mother...what happened to you? How did you get so big? How did you get so hurt...was it because I wasn't there...because I didn't come home...mother...please...I'm sorry..." he mumbled.

Hange gently washed his head, clearing his face of salty sweat, Connie turned to them, seeing a different person staring at him.

"Gomen...asai...gomen...asai...mother...I should've done more...gomen...asai."

"Don't be sorry." they said, softening their voice and making it tender and loving...not that they had to try that hard. Their heart was aching, begging them for rest. "You did everything you could...I'm so proud of you Connie."

"Proud...of me? How? Always mess up...not as good as the others..." he mumbled, his voice becoming steadily more sleepy.

"And you always try again." they retorted. "That's the best part about you, Connie. You don't give up. Get some sleep. You'll be better soon."

Connie did begin to drift off but as soon as they made to check on a wheezing Sasha, he grabbed their hand tightly, his eyes watering.

"Don't...don't leave me...please don't leave me...what if you become a _kyojin_ again? Please....don't...don't leave me."

Levi was beside Sasha, mumbling quiet comforts in her ear and easing her slowly back to sleep. He nodded at them, the silent 'I've got this one' that Hange had always understood.

"I'm not leaving, Connie." they said, sitting on the bed and letting the sickly boy lay his head on their knees. "I won't. I promise."

Connie fisted his hand in their pants, holding onto them weakly and breathing in those same raspy, broken breaths he'd been doing for the past few days. And, without noticing, Hange began stroking his head, even though he had no hair to stroke. The movements calmed him and Hange too.

Outside in the girls room, Historia began coughing and spluttering, her face turning blue in the moonlight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The disease the kids are getting is called Whooping Cough, and I imagine it must of been terrifying back when there wasn't much in the way of treating it with medicine or a vaccine. How was this chapter? It's not as good as the last I think because I'm not use to being in Hange's head, hopefully it was okay. Thanks for reading!


	3. A Lesson of Fear.

_These kids will be the death of me._ Levi thought to himself as he places another wet towel on Historia's head. That doctor better be quick. The designated quarantine room was hot, almost too hot to be allowed and you couldn't go a second without the sounds of miserable snuffling around him. His eyes itched from sleep. Hange had curled up on a chair, their head resting on Mikasa's bed. She'd had a bad one. His heart was still spluttering erratically against his rib cage. He thought she was going to die in his and Hange's arms...her face...it still hadn't gotten back to normal. Patches of red stuck out like angry burns on her pale skin. Making her look sicker and colder than she'd already been and it made his heart ache.

" _Heicho._ " Armin mumbled suddenly. Levi glanced over at the smallest of his boys and walked to his side without a second thought.

" _Oy_ brat." he mumbled "What's wrong?"

"I've never had a disease that I didn't know about." he rasped. His throat sounded like sand paper. Levi brought a cup to him and slowly helped him drink it. "Will we ever get better?"

Levi stared at the kid, his big blue eyes hadn't wavered from his face, and he didn't like the way his heart tugged. More for the fact that he didn't understand why this was so difficult. He'd had soldiers who'd been sick before. Hell, he'd treated some of them before. Petra had come down with the pox one year and his whole team had to be in quarantine. He had been afraid for Petra then, he didn't think he'd slept through the night with her tossing and turning in her bed but this fear was different. Much like the fear he'd felt those first few weeks with Eren. If Armin had been anyone else, he would've been honest. He would've told him that he probably had no chance. That he'd be dead before the week was out.

But Armin wasn't anyone else. Armin wasn't just another of his soldiers. None of them were. To be honest, he didn't know what these brats were just yet. But he knew he'd die for them in a way that was different from his last team. They had been his friends, his confidents, his comrades. But these kids were different but no less important.

"Don't you dare die on me, Arlert." he said. "You're not a fully fledged soldier just yet. You can't die without being one."

Armin laughed, his chest heaved with the effort and for the first time since he'd been in here, a smile cracked over his splintered lips. Levi tsked softly as he wiped the blood away.

"Get better, that's an order." he said.

"I-I'll t-try, _heicho_ ," he mumbled.

"Get some sleep." he muttered.

Armin hummed before he turned around, his eyes fluttering weakly before they slide closed. Levi's legs shook as he sank into the chair beside him, resting his head in his hands.

" _Oy_ , Levi." Hange mumbled. Levi turned to them, dropping his shoulders. "It seems like they're worming their way into your heart, hm?"

"Tch, shitty glasses."

-

Levi paced around in their room, where was this fucking doctor? Why wasn't he here just yet? Him and Hange called for him at least a week ago now. Didn't this doctor know how close they were? Didn't he know that he couldn't lose those kids? That Hange couldn't lose them?

"Levi. Sit down, would you?" Hange muttered, rubbing their forehead with a wince. "You're making me nervous just looking at you."

"That bastard said he'd be here as quick as he can." he hissed back. "And yet a week in and he's still not here!"

"Levi." Hange winced and closed their eyes in pain. "This isn't going to help, you're just worrying yourself and me more."

Levi glanced back at them with furrowed brows, how could they do this? How could they be so calm? And most importantly, perhaps, why couldn't he do it too?

"How're you so calm? Why can't I be as calm as you? And I'm not worrying." he muttered.

"Sure, you're nor. The answer's simple. I'm not calm. I'm far from calm. I'm just better at hiding it than you. And I don't know why I'm worried."

Levi laughed with a smirk, Hange glared at him in confusion, their eyes demanding an answer.

"Never knew a question you couldn't answer four eyes."

"Shut up." Hange growled, a half hearted smile tugging at their lips. "Midget."

Levi placed a hand over his heart with a small smirk. He was glad for Hange in that moment. He had no idea that he'd needed a light hearted moment even if that's all it was. Levi looked up at a speed he hadn't thought himself possible of when he heard a knock on the door. The doctor looked young, younger than Levi anyway, maybe in his 20's.

"You?" he harshly asked, his eyes narrowing even more. "You're the doctor?"

"Yes." he said, nodding as he walked inside their humble little house that Levi had been painstakingly scrubbing between breaks seeing the kids, what? He wasn't going to let them live in filth once this's over.

"And how old are you? Do you even know what you're doing?" he demanded.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." he said dryly. "Now, do I actually have patients or am I here for you to complain too?"

"They're upstairs." Hange cut in, stopping him from unleashing his many insults he had in store for this idiot. " _Gomenasai._ He's just really worried."

He wasn't worried! Absolutely not, he just needed those brats to be up and running seeing as he needed to train them. They're not up to scratch and this sickness already set them back a few weeks.

"Of course, most parents are when their children catch the cough. I need you to trust that I'm gonna do everything I can to help them." the doctor said, patting Hange's shoulder.

Levi watched as he walked upstairs and into the quarantine room, he could hear Jean retching into the bucket that he and Hange had left up there. He _hated_ it. More than he's ever hated anything.

"What if it's not enough?" Hange asked suddenly, cutting through his hurricane of thoughts.

"They're not allowed to die." Levi growled. "I forbid it."

Hange smiled sadly, looking at him as if he was a stubborn child who wouldn't admit that they were wrong. But he wouldn't accept being wrong in this instance, he refused.

"Levi...what if they don't have a choice?"

-

Levi sighed as he rested his head on his desk as the doctor checked Sasha's vitals again, the smell of misery and the sickly sweetness had begun to clear up. Sasha and Connie were slowly sitting up again, coughing less and slowly, so slowly that sometimes he wondered if it was even happening, their faces were getting their color back and their sweat was clearing up. Their fevers had broken the night before but their cough hadn't stopped just yet. But they were breathing easier.

" _Heicho_." Armin mumbled. Levi walked over to the blonde boy and kneeled down so he didn't have to push himself too hard.

"Yes, Arlert?" he said.

"I think I might be desperate enough to eat a rat now." he muttered.

Levi smiled a little while Hange began laughing their heart out. Their shoulders dropped in relief, Sasha giggled weakly, a small cough breaking through.

"I think we can give you something better than a rat." Hange snickered.

"Guess, you finally listened to an order huh?" Levi asked. Armin smiled at him weakly.

"You made it hard not to...you're scary when you're worried."

"I'll have to get worried more often then, makes you brats as complacent as dogs." he mused.

"Is that a challenge? To see how many heart attacks we can give you?" Connie asked.

"You try that and I'll kick your ass." Levi threatened.

Or, he tried. He didn't think it had quite the threatening edge he wanted, especially considering he was still smiling.


End file.
